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Thoroughly Modern Milliners

WITH visionaries like Lady Gaga around, there's a feeling that we should all be making more effort with our headgear - especially as the class of 2010 are redefining the art of millinery with wit, emotion and technical skill.

Harvy Santos danced with the Hong Kong ballet before beginning a course with the Queen Mother's milliner. His balletic background plus a ragbag of influences (from steam-punk to archery) inform his elegantly energetic work. Meanwhile, Camille Roman of Tour de Force cites the bizarre 'hair hats' of avant-garde Japanese artist Nagi Noda as a major influence on her surreal designs.

Thinking of the surreal - if you spied a giant feather Mohawk bobbing about at one of this summer's more stylish festivals (think Secret Garden or Kimberley), chances are it was by Tammi Willis, the chatelaine of West London club Ginglik and pal of model Olivia Inge.

Naturally vintage looks are major reference point too. Milliner Janine Basil found her beloved vintage hats were too fragile to wear - and contemporary efforts frankly dull - so she started making her own cartoony creations. Meanwhile, Feather Fancies' Paula Eastman adores Forties styles. The former theatrical costumer names Paloma Faith as her dream client: "You watch a person wearing a hat and because they have made the effort they stand differently, their poise is more confident and they radiate a certain something."

So, how to carry it off these bold creations? Prepare for stares and, Camille Roman advises, have "a sense of humour." Tammi adds, "Hats are a great way to stand out and be extrovert at exactly the same time as giving you something to hide behind (or under!)" Just think: 'What would Gaga do?'